Collin Sexton‘s season-ending surgery has thrust second-year wing Isaac Okoro into the spotlight for the Cavaliers, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Okoro, 20, has had a terrible start to the season shooting the ball, with a slash line of .369/.176/.720 through 11 games. The Cavs don’t expect Okoro to replicate Sexton’s offensive output; it’s not why they drafted him, and it’s not what he hangs his hat on, per Fedor. Okoro is a defense-oriented hustle player who’s a good finisher in transition.
Coach J.B Bickerstaff says Cleveland isn’t concerned with Okoro’s poor shooting yet, but the Cavaliers need him to stay aggressive and make the right plays on offense to keep opposing defenses honest.
“Not yet is there a level of concern,” Bickerstaff said. “We have to figure out how to help him. How do we put him in positions to be successful and what does he need to do to help this team? That’s the most important thing. We all need to make open shots. I think we have had open shots out there that we can knock down. But each guy has a different role. He has to make himself more difficult to guard. That’s something that we have been talking to him about. He is a really good mover, he’s a really good runner, he can catch and finish at the rim, he’s a good offensive rebounder. We have to get him to do more of those things. He just needs to impact the game the way he impacts the game. We don’t need him to score 20 points a night. We need to help this team win.”
The Cavs have lost four straight games and sit at 9-9. They’ve dealt with several injuries and illnesses to key players, including Okoro, who was sidelined for seven games with a strained hamstring.
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